Rating: 
Summary: Great plot, a worthwhile novel, but...
Review: I did really enjoy this book, however, I felt that sometimes it went a bit overboard with introducing more and more characters instead of getting to the meat of the plot. The saving grace, of course, is that there IS some meat to his plot - you just have to delve through a bit too much description to get to the juicy parts. Judicious editing (losing 100 pages or so) could really tighten this up to a 5 star book in my opinion. However, please don't let that detract you from reading this biting social commentary thinly disguised as a murder-mystery. It's got a brilliant sense of humor, enough gore to satisfy the most twisted of readers and is cinematic enough to make a great film. On a side note - it's obvious that this publisher needs a good proof-reader, it is seriously riddled with spelling errors and grammatical blunders. I'd be more than happy to perform the task with this author's next work! He certainly is a talent to watch.
Rating: 
Summary: An amazing ride
Review: I met Keith Hartman when he was guest of honor at Diversicon in Minneapolis. We traded books, because that's what authors do for each other sometimes. I knew I liked him right away, but I held off reading his book because I was worried that his writing would disappoint me and I really wanted to like the guy, you know? (You've seen his picture on his web site right? He's a hottie, and a smart, interesting guy to boot).Plus, after looking at all the SF luminaries who praised his book, I thought to myself, "Who is this guy sleeping with to get cover quotes like this?!" I decided he had to be all hype and no talent. I couldn't have been more wrong. This book rocks. First of all it's kick-you-in-the-pants fun. Keith easily adds funny editorial asides/narrative commentary that could, in less skilled hands, knock a reader out of the story. But, Keith has a kind of easy yet smart-aleck style of writing that makes you feel, instead, like he's personally taken you into his confidence... which serves to only draw you deeper into the character's lives. And what interesting lives they lead! Besides, the Gumshoe and the Witch, there's also a Christian rockstar, a bumbling geeky teenager, a Baptist senator, and many many more. Plus, the near-future world of Keith's novel is wonderfully diverse--a kind of place you want to spend days exploring (luckily it's a good, long book and there's a sequel! Which, BTW, I intend to run out and buy today). Future Atlanta's neighborhoods have been divided mostly by religion, the gay ghetto being the one exception. One of the things I admired is that, despite a kind of plot that could have focused only on Baptist fundamentalists, Keith never forgets that there are a million kinds of religious orientations out there. I'm a practicing Wiccan, and I usually expect to be irritated when people in novels start casting circles and spells. Not so here. The Craft as Keith writes it is closer to my experience than anything I've seen in a long time. One of the earlier commentators said they didn't think this book was for everyone. I couldn't disagree more. One of the other things I'm forced to admire (okay, so I've got a wee bit authorial jealousy going on here), is the way that Keith manages to write about everyone with such compassion. I found myself sympathizing with the serial killer for crying out loud! I'm not straight, but I really wanted the two teenage sweethearts Benji and Summer to get together. I'm not a gay man, but I really wanted the Gumshoe and Laughing Bear to get together. I'm not a Native American cross-dressing shaman, but... well, I think you get the point. Not to give anything away, but I think the whole theme of this novel is that maybe we should all open our hearts to "the other" a little bit. In that way, I think this book is for everyone. Go out and buy a copy. No, go buy fifty!
Rating:
Summary: An amazing ride
Review: I met Keith Hartman when he was guest of honor at Diversicon in Minneapolis. We traded books, because that's what authors do for each other sometimes. I knew I liked him right away, but I held off reading his book because I was worried that his writing would disappoint me and I really wanted to like the guy, you know? (You've seen his picture on his web site right? He's a hottie, and a smart, interesting guy to boot). Plus, after looking at all the SF luminaries who praised his book, I thought to myself, "Who is this guy sleeping with to get cover quotes like this?!" I decided he had to be all hype and no talent. I couldn't have been more wrong. This book rocks. First of all it's kick-you-in-the-pants fun. Keith easily adds funny editorial asides/narrative commentary that could, in less skilled hands, knock a reader out of the story. But, Keith has a kind of easy yet smart-aleck style of writing that makes you feel, instead, like he's personally taken you into his confidence... which serves to only draw you deeper into the character's lives. And what interesting lives they lead! Besides, the Gumshoe and the Witch, there's also a Christian rockstar, a bumbling geeky teenager, a Baptist senator, and many many more. Plus, the near-future world of Keith's novel is wonderfully diverse--a kind of place you want to spend days exploring (luckily it's a good, long book and there's a sequel! Which, BTW, I intend to run out and buy today). Future Atlanta's neighborhoods have been divided mostly by religion, the gay ghetto being the one exception. One of the things I admired is that, despite a kind of plot that could have focused only on Baptist fundamentalists, Keith never forgets that there are a million kinds of religious orientations out there. I'm a practicing Wiccan, and I usually expect to be irritated when people in novels start casting circles and spells. Not so here. The Craft as Keith writes it is closer to my experience than anything I've seen in a long time. One of the earlier commentators said they didn't think this book was for everyone. I couldn't disagree more. One of the other things I'm forced to admire (okay, so I've got a wee bit authorial jealousy going on here), is the way that Keith manages to write about everyone with such compassion. I found myself sympathizing with the serial killer for crying out loud! I'm not straight, but I really wanted the two teenage sweethearts Benji and Summer to get together. I'm not a gay man, but I really wanted the Gumshoe and Laughing Bear to get together. I'm not a Native American cross-dressing shaman, but... well, I think you get the point. Not to give anything away, but I think the whole theme of this novel is that maybe we should all open our hearts to "the other" a little bit. In that way, I think this book is for everyone. Go out and buy a copy. No, go buy fifty!
Rating:
Summary: Finally!!
Review: I picked up this book at the Meisha Merlin stand at the 2000 Westercon. The customer reviews are right. This book is exceptional - the chapter describing the art show ceremony in particular has made a permanent impression on me and rarely am I in the fortunate position to say this. What I don't understand is - where are the awards? While I concede that everyone might not think it was the best SF novel of its year (though I'd want to know why) I would at least expect it to turn up on the odd shortlist. This has got to be best SF novel I have read not to have received any recognition. It even seems to be a first novel, which is incredible given the quality of plot, language, world-building and characterisation. I can't help thinking that it it was published by giant Tor rather than little Meisha Merlin it would be on everybody's reading list. But I haven't even seen a Locus review, for crying out loud (though I hope I am mistaken in this). I can hope that the praise it has received from those who *have* read it is of some consolation to the author for the critical snub. Note: There seems to be an upcoming sequel.
Rating:
Summary: Where are the plaudits? Where are the readers?
Review: I picked up this book at the Meisha Merlin stand at the 2000 Westercon. The customer reviews are right. This book is exceptional - the chapter describing the art show ceremony in particular has made a permanent impression on me and rarely am I in the fortunate position to say this. What I don't understand is - where are the awards? While I concede that everyone might not think it was the best SF novel of its year (though I'd want to know why) I would at least expect it to turn up on the odd shortlist. This has got to be best SF novel I have read not to have received any recognition. It even seems to be a first novel, which is incredible given the quality of plot, language, world-building and characterisation. I can't help thinking that it it was published by giant Tor rather than little Meisha Merlin it would be on everybody's reading list. But I haven't even seen a Locus review, for crying out loud (though I hope I am mistaken in this). I can hope that the praise it has received from those who *have* read it is of some consolation to the author for the critical snub. Note: There seems to be an upcoming sequel.
Rating:
Summary: Great book!
Review: I really enjoyed reading this book. The mix of characters is wonderful. The gays, the American Indians and the witches are the good guys, and the radical right wing paranoid Christians are the bad guys. One of the best things about the book is its sense of humor. The author throws in surprises from time to time that made me laugh out loud. The only draw back to the book are the number of typos and editing errors. But the book was well-written and suspenseful enough to let me overlook them.
Rating:
Summary: I really enjoyed this book.
Review: I'm a particular fan of contemporary urban fantasy/socio-religio-political satire, and this book is a grand example. It's also a book in which you have to pay close attention to the chapter titles, because there are so many first person narrators in the story, and they change for nearly ever chapter. But the effort is worth it. I got a kick out of this author's freewheeling writing style and his ability to create charming and likable characters of every ethnic, religious, and sexual stripe, including the gumshoe and witch of the title, as well as a cross-dressing shaman and a contemporary Christian singer who wants to save the world...literally. I can't wait to read the sequel.
Rating:
Summary: I really enjoyed this book.
Review: I'm a particular fan of contemporary urban fantasy/socio-religio-political satire, and this book is a grand example. It's also a book in which you have to pay close attention to the chapter titles, because there are so many first person narrators in the story, and they change for nearly ever chapter. But the effort is worth it. I got a kick out of this author's freewheeling writing style and his ability to create charming and likable characters of every ethnic, religious, and sexual stripe, including the gumshoe and witch of the title, as well as a cross-dressing shaman and a contemporary Christian singer who wants to save the world...literally. I can't wait to read the sequel.
Rating:
Summary: A complex, intriguing, and unique view of the near future.
Review: Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. It's hard to believe that one author can become so many voices...in one book, no less. But Hartman makes it work. If you're tired of the ordinary and want to think, smile, quake, and even laugh out loud while you're reading, GET THIS BOOK. I'm about to order two more copies for gifts.
Rating:
Summary: Like Riding a Whirlwind
Review: Positively amazing. I was searching for a book with some queerness about it that didn't involve large sections of porn when I stumbled upon this novel. What starts off as a potentially chintzy detective novel evolves into a complex story fraught with realistic characters that come to life right before your eyes. There's a little bit of everything in this novel, and yet it ties together like an eccentric tapestry; utilizing it's unique narrative to it's fullest extent. And unlike many other near future stories that skirt actual names and events, this one relies not only on our factual recent history, but also on realistic potential events that seem to be extensions of our current socio-politic climate. I highly recommend this book!
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